Month: October 2014

Guatemala currently has one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the world. More than 65% of rural area Guatemalan children under age 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition and hunger (UNICEF). Coffee leaf infestation by the fungus Roya has destroyed up to 80% of the coffee crop of the small holder farms in the highlands of Guatemala. The economic impact of income loss for day laborers is severe. There are reports that up to 85% of the children in the rural area of Chajul, Quiche, Guatemala are at high risk for malnutrition and hunger. Some reports are saying that Guatemala is the most mal-nourished country in the western hemisphere.